Sympathy for the Devil
by DesireeStorms
Summary: Burt arrives back in Perfection and is less than enthused to see a newcomer has moved in. Jessie Harper is in Perfection to gather research on El Blanco for the Endangered Species Act, but what was supposed to be simple research soon turns into chaotic turmoil when they find out someone is out to kill El Blanco, but Jessie isn't about to let anyone harm the albino Graboid.
1. Jessie

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Tremors or its characters. The rights go to Ron Underwood, S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock, and Nancy Roberts.**

**What I DO own:**** The plot to this poorly written fanfic lol.**

**Chapter #1: Jessie Harper**

Burt arrived back in Perfection Valley early on a Wednesday morning. He had been up late the previous night driving back to Perfection after spending a month in Texas, and then flew to New York. He'd had to endure another lengthy interview and make an appearance on some TV show, required to answer questions he'd already been over countless times since the discovery of Graboids. Once he was in Bixby, he had grown curious when he saw multiple trucks headed in the general direction of Perfection carrying supplies such as planks, cement, and a few bulldozers. Naturally, the survivalist had found it suspicious, but he had excused it. The trucks had probably been headed somewhere else. Building wasn't allowed in Perfection anyway.

His truck skidded to an abrupt stop when he arrived in the main town, and he ripped his sunglasses from his face, staring wide-eyed at the building perched a little ways behind Tyler's garage.

He had been wrong about the trucks.

* * *

"Jodie!" Burt barged into Chang's Market.

Jodie turned around quickly, and she grew a friendly smile at seeing the survivalist entering the store. "Hey, Burt! Welcome home—"

"What the hell is that?" he snapped, ignoring her greeting completely. "Who the hell built that house? What the hell happened to no building in the valley?"

"Burt—" Jodie rolled her eyes, knowing full well what was coming.

"Are they with the government?"

"Burt!" Jodie huffed. "Relax!"

Nancy entered the store at that moment, and she smiled upon seeing Burt. "Hey, Burt! Welcome home!"

"Hey, Nancy," he muttered.

"How was your trip?"

"Same as always. Answering the same damn questions to a bunch of people that don't understand the concept of being prepared." He looked down at a pile of mail that had been left on the counter, and he picked up one of the envelopes. "Who is this?"

Jodie turned to him, and he held up the envelope for emphasis. When she saw what he was inquiring, she almost appeared to wince. Everyone knew how Burt loved newcomers.

"Oh, that's Jessie's mail. She just moved in last week."

"That the house they've been building?"

She nodded. "Yep."

He made a low noise to himself as he looked over his own mail. "She stole my barricade concept," he muttered. He had noticed before entering the store that the house was surrounded by the same concrete wall his was surrounded by.

"Well can you blame her?" said Nancy. "Heck, if I had the money I'd probably have them do my place too. Besides, she gave you full credit for it when she requested it be done."

Burt grunted. "Sounds like she's well off. What's she doing here?"

Jodie shrugged. "She says she's here for research."

"You're telling me she spent thousands on a concrete wall and house just for a research visit?" He gave them both an unconvinced look. "If she has that kind of money, and she spent it building herself a home here for a _visit_… well, I'd say she's not telling us everything."

"Ugh." Nancy rolled her eyes and turned away to go straighten out shelves. "_Burt_—"

"Look, I'm just saying it's suspicious!" he said defensively. "It wouldn't be the first time someone tried messing with us, and you all know it as well as I do."

"Well, she's sort of visiting, too. You see, she's Tyler's sister—"

"What?" he looked at her sharply. "Are you kidding me?" He then looked at Nancy. "He has a sister?"

"She seems nice to me," piped in Jodie innocently.

"You've known her for a _week_!"

"Can't you at least _meet_ her before making judgments?" Nancy said. "You don't even know what she looks like, and you're already calling her a spy or a poacher."

"People should just stay the hell out. Does more bad than good every time." Standing, he collected his mail and slung his gun over his shoulder. "I hope you gave her a seismo."

"Actually, she's not here yet." Jodie folded her arms over her chest. "Though, from what Tyler's said about her, I have a feeling she wants El Blanco to find her..."

"Naturally." Burt shook his head as he headed towards the door. "And to think I was hoping she'd be here to study rocks."

Tyler entered the store at that moment, and he and was immediately greeted by multiple smiles.

"Hey look, its brother Tyler," said Nancy with a smile.

"You never told us about this," said Burt, a bit dersively.

"Nice to see you too, Burt." Rolling his eyes, Tyler cracked open a soda and took a sip. "Listen, do me a favor and spare me the lectures. I couldn't have stopped her if I tried. You're actin' like I'm a traitor or something."

"No, I know you're still the same yahoo like the other yahoo before you," said Burt, with only mild contempt. Then he turned in his seat to look at the others. "We'll see if his sister's anything like 'im."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that. We're actually polar opposites," said Tyler.

"Oh?" Nancy inquired.

"Yes. I'm a redneck, and she isn't."

They chuckled.

"So, when is she getting here?" asked Jodie from the counter.

"She's supposed to be here today…. Shouldn't be too long now, actually. Twitchell said he'd lead her over to prevent anyone from getting eaten by El Blanco."

"Yeah, sorry, but with Twitchell she's got a higher chance of getting slurped if you ask me," said Burt.

"Burt, don't say that," said Nancy.

"Does she have a watch yet?" asked Rosalita.

"How can she? Unless Twitchell gave her one," said Burt.

"Does your sister even know about El Blanco?" questioned Nancy.

"Oh, hell yeah. She, uh…she knows about 'im…"

The others stared. "What's with the hesitant tone?" asked Rosalita.

"Well, you could say Jessie's a little on the…wild side. To be honest… if she had a chance to go up to 'im, she probably would."

"_What_?" Nancy and the others looked at him as f he were kidding.

"Then, we'll have to keep an eye on her," said Burt bluntly. "As if we needed more of Desert Jack. Damn scientists…"

"Oh, come on, Burt. If you asked me, I'd say you two should get along great." Jodie laughed. "Both of you love to study El Blanco's habits."

"Naw." Tyler shook his head. "Naw, Jessie wouldn't like the idea of shooting everything that moves."

The whole room laughed—all except Burt. He actually looked a little irritated.

"I only shoot things in self defense," he claimed.

"Does that not include hunting or teasing El Blanco with them little toy trucks?" asked Tyler.

"I only do that occasionally, and I use watches, not bombs. The last thing I need is Twitchell getting on my back about worm murder." Burt rolled his eyes at the thought.

Jodie smiled, and then looked to the window when she heard something like a car pulling in, and she squinted her eyes a little. "Hey, is that them?"

All heads turned towards the window to the parking lot, and Tyler got a half smile. "Yep. I'd recognize that piece of shit Twitchell drives any day."

They all watched as the familiar form of W.D. Twitchell and an unfamiliar woman walked towards the store and entered through the doors. Next to Twitchell was a pretty, auburn-haired woman around the same age as Tyler.

Her hair was a rich auburn and hung in waves past her shoulders, and her eyes were a forest jade. She wore regular dark blue jeans and a form-fitting black tank top completed with a leather jacket. The silver belt buckle on her waist glinted in the sunlight, as she walked up to Tyler with a smile on her face.

"Hey, little brother." She smiled up at him.

"Hey, Jess." They hugged briefly, and Tyler kept an arm around his sister's shoulders as they turned to face the others. Motioning to her and the others, he introduced her. "Guys, this is my sister Jessie. Jess, this is Nancy, Jodie, Rosalita, and—"

"Burt Gummer. Yes, I've heard of you. You're the one El Blanco likes, right?" She flashed a brilliant smile in his direction, and Burt grunted before nodding.

"I hear you're here for an extended visit?" he asked, and Jodie nudged his arm.

"She already filled out the papers, so I suggest you get 'er one of those watches before that worm decides to make his afternoon pass-by." Twitchell turned around and left through the doors, and everyone turned their attentions to Jessie.

"So, what's it like traveling the world? Tyler told us you liked to travel a lot," asked Nancy while sipping her coffee.

Jodie held up a cup up to Jessie with a friendly smile. "Grabachino?"

Jessie offered her a smile in return. "Thanks." She took a sip. "Hey, this is really good!"

The Asian woman smiled triumphantly.

"And yes, I like to travel," Jessie continued. "I've been all over the place studying wildlife."

"Well, what made you come down here? Was it the thrill or the science?" asked Rosalita dryly.

Jessie laughed a little. "I thought it'd be nice to get away from people for a change, you know? And I've always wanted to see—"

"El Blanco," said all of them at once.

She blinked. "Y-Yeah…"

Burt let out a half chuckle. "Tyler told us. Said you'd go up to the beast the first chance you got."

She shrugged. "It's true. I'd do anything to see that oversized caterpillar."

"Hey!" Everyone looked to Jodie's tone of voice that said she had an idea. "Burt, why don't you take her and introduce her to El Blanco? Use one of those toy cars or something," she suggested.

"I don't know," said Burt.

"Why not? You tease him all the time anyway," said Rosalita.

"Yeah, Burt, take her to see El Blanco. What's the worst that could happen?" said Nancy.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Burt turned to her incredulously. "What's the worst that could happen? She could be _eaten_, that's the worst that could happen! El Blanco isn't a pet; he's a giant, Precambrian worm with a taste for something other than dirt."

"_Please_, Burt, when was the last time El Blanco ever gave you any personal trouble? You have bombs and everything else on you. You're the best person to do it—"

"No, it's okay. If he's scared something will happen, he doesn't have to take me," said Jessie, interrupting Nancy.

"What?" Burt turned his head to her.

She looked over at him and seemed to shrug her shoulders. "I understand if you're scared is all."

Burt stared at her, glanced to the side, and looked back at her again with a cross look. "I'm not scared."

"Oh… so you _will _give me the ride?"

Tyler coughed back a laugh, and the girls all giggled in the background. Rosalita looked the most amused.

"I don't know about you, Burt, but I like her." Rosalita smiled.

"And aren't we expecting a visit from Melvin soon? Maybe if you take her out, you'll run into him," said Nancy.

"And that's good how?" Jodie looked at her like she had just told a grand joke.

"Yes, I believe I missed that part," said Burt.

"_Hello_, she's an endangered species activist," hinted Rosalita.

"Wait, wait, wait…" Jessie looked at them as if they were kidding. "Melvin? As in Melvin Plug? That developer? He's still bugging you guys?" She looked sideways at Burt, who looked at her curiously.

"Who told you about the little turd?"

"Tyler did…" Jessie slowly got a smile. "Little turd?"

"That's the name us locals have given him," explained Tyler.

"Ah… Well, I'd like to meet Melvin. You'll introduce me to him, won't you Burt?" She was giving him a sly look, and he seemed to look away uncomfortably.

"Well… I guess it's better if I introduce you to the area anyway…"

She smiled and clapped her hands together. "Excellent! I'm going to go unpack first, though. How long until you'll be ready?"

He shook his head with a shrug. "About an hour?"

"Perfect. I just have to take a quick spin out to record some seismographs. It's close by." She proceeded to happily leave the store, and Nancy chuckled before standing.

"I'm going to go get her a welcoming gift." She exited the store, and the others exchanged amused glances, knowing the woman was going to give Jessie one of her clay models.

Over in his seat, Burt gave an irritated huff, not noticing the smirk Tyler was sending him from the side.

* * *

Burt's original plan had been to go to his place and unpack, but now his mind was set on going to find Jessie. He didn't like the idea of a newbie running around by herself. Not only that; he wanted to know what she was about. For all he knew, Tyler's sister or not, she was some spy or an undercover cop or something. The biggest question in his head was how she managed to get permission to build a home and move in. The paperwork and money alone….

It wasn't hard to find her. El Blanco had done all the work for him when he saw the worm hovering in one spot on the monitor. He had simply followed the Graboid, and soon enough he saw her. She was sitting on a large boulder, stranded. Around the rock, dust clouds appeared in different areas. Burt shook his head in annoyance. Damn newbies. He stopped a little ways from the rock and turned his engine off before grabbing a concussion grenade.

Jessie nearly fell backwards off the rock she was sitting on when she received the scare of her life, as a deafening blast caused her to scream and drop the book she had been scratching in. There was another loud, piercing screech, and she snapped her head up just in time to see a trail of dust hell-bent and heading for the hills. Her heart was threatening to break through her ribs, when a shuffling behind her caused her to jump to her feet. She spun around, whipping out her Desert Eagle in the process and aiming it right as Burt climbed onto the rock.

"Don't shoot!" he shouted.

"_Christ_, buddy!" she all but screamed at him, green eyes wide with a mixture of fear and anger. "What the hell was that for?!" she snapped.

He stared at her impassively, seeming less than impressed. "You wanna lower the gun?"

Huffing, she looked pissed but lowered the weapon. "What the hell, man?"

"Concussion grenade. The volume of the explosion—"

"Yeah, I know what it is!" She still looked shaken. "I'm asking why you thought it was necessary!" Letting out a frustrated sigh mixed with a growl, she turned to pick up the black book she had dropped on the ground. Burt watched her, finding himself wanting to know what exactly was in that book.

"You're standing trapped on a boulder with a great white Graboid circling you, and you don't consider that an emergency situation?"

She turned to face him, fist on her hip while the other arm held the book. "I wasn't trapped." She then pointed sharply to the left. "My truck is right there."

He looked to where she was pointing, and sure enough there it was. A silver Toyota Tundra Diesel, engine off and in perfect condition. No flat tires; not a single sign of disturbance. His gaze returned to the woman, Jessie, to see she still had her fist on her hip with a peeved expression.

"See!"

"Then what are you doing up here?" he challenged.

She opened and thrust forward the hardcover book. "I was sketching the landscape! I had my iPod playing without the cord, and I guess it attracted El Blanco, but he wasn't bothering anyone. I knew he was there. If I was in trouble, I would have called in for help."

He didn't say anything in response. Even though his shades covered his eyes, Jessie could tell he was giving her a scrutinizing stare. It was then she got a good look at him, and it hit her who he must be.

"Hmm." Quirking an eyebrow, she tilted her head slightly to the side. "Tyler was right, though. Aside from being a little over the top, you sure have your shit together."

He gave a stiff nod. "How did you get permission to build here?"

"I'm a scientist. The Endangered Species Act wanted someone to gather more information on Graboids and their habitat. I volunteered. That's the only reason I was able to build a house here," she explained.

"So I take it you're staying awhile?"

She took noticed of the suppressed contempt in his voice immediately and folded her arms over her chest. "Nice to meet you, too." He stared at her, and she rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Gummer. I'm not here to hurt your precious Graboid."

"Forgive me for not jumping on the opportunity to welcome you to our humble home," he shot back. "No offense, but every time the government sends someone like you in, there's always trouble. Someone either tries to kill El Blanco, take our homes, get hurt, or get eaten." He ticked off the list with his fingers as he spoke. "I'm warning you. You're not experienced with Graboids; El Blanco is—"

"I know. I already got a song and dance from Tyler and Twitchell."

He went to reply, when both their seismos went off, and they looked down at their wrists in alert.

"Looks like El Blanco's coming back for another round." Burt looked back at her. "Are you sure you're okay out here alone?"

Jessie gave him an amused, wry smile. "Hey, I'm still standing."

"Don't get cocky." He grabbed her hand and slapped a grenade into her palm. "Just in case you find yourself in a situation you can't get out of. You should keep one on hand if you're going to be doing research out here by yourself." With that, he turned and began heading back towards his truck. "Meet me at the market in a half hour, and I'll give you a tour."

Jessie raised her hand in a lazy wave before shaking her head. There was a small smile playing on her full lips, though, and she glanced down at her seismo one last time before getting back in her truck and speeding off in the opposite direction.

In his own truck, Burt was shaking his head as he watched her drive off through his rearview mirror. "Goddamn people…"


	2. I Think She Likes You

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Tremors or its characters. The rights go to Ron Underwood, S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock, and Nancy Roberts.**

**Chapter #2: I Think She Likes You**

"Melvin, for the last time. _No_." Tyler rolled his eyes at the persistent developer before him.

"Come on, Tyler, I'm offering you a great opportunity here." Melvin pushed, as Tyler prepared his jeep for a tour he was supposed to give later that morning.

"Is it an opportunity for me or for you?" Tyler returned, a bit derisively. He turned to face Melvin. "My answer is no." He walked back towards Chang's Market, and Melvin followed, much to Tyler's annoyance.

"Come on, I thought you wanted to get out of here. Make some real money."

"No offense, Melvin, but the last time I took one of your offers, I nearly ended up getting eaten by a prehistoric shrimp. So," Tyler lifted his hands in front of him, "no thank you."

Melvin's shoulders fell in partial defeat, as Jodie handed Tyler his mail.

"I don't know why you keep this up, Melvin," said Nancy, who was going through her own mail on one of the tables. "Driving all the way out here all the time. It's a waste of your time." She said the last bit in a sort of singsong voice.

"Why don't you go bother someone else?" said Tyler.

"You guys don't get it." Melvin was giving them all a slightly agitated look. "Don't you see? That worm isn't going to live forever, and when it finally dies I get full rights to the valley. Understand? Either way I win, so why don't you all just go along with me so you get something out of it?"

"Get something out of it, huh?"

He spun around just as Burt entered the store, Jessie following behind him. Melvin visibly winced at the sight of the survivalist, and Tyler, Jodie, and Nancy smirked. Tyler looked over at Jessie.

"Hey there, Jess."

"Hey, Tyler." Jessie was looking at Melvin with a curious stare. "Who's the suit?"

Sending Burt a rather unenthusiastic glare, Melvin redirected his attention to Jessie and offered her a smile before offering her his hand. "Melvin, but call me Mel." He smirked when he saw her eyes widen the slightest bit. "What's a pretty thing like you doing all the way out here?"

Jessie quirked an unimpressed eyebrow at him. The others visibly tensed, and their gazes shifted to Tyler. He was glaring at Melvin, seeming less than pleased. Clearing her throat, Jodie slowly leaned over the counter and tapped Melvin's shoulder.

"Melvin, that's Tyler's sister."

His eyes widened. "Oops..." Practically feeling Tyler's eyes drilling into his back, he cleared hist throat akwardly.

Jessie stared at him. "Melvin," she said. "Melvin Plug…"

He offered her a smile in attempt to regain his composure. "I guess you've heard of me already."

"Oh, I've heard of you."

He nodded, smug, not catching the venom in her voice. "Yeah, word travels fast around—"

_SMACK!_

The others visibly jumped at the loud slap, and Melvin's head jerked to the side from the impact.

"_That's_ for trying to kill El Blanco!"

Jodie, Tyler, and Nancy gaped, as Tyler lifted a fist to his mouth to block the shocked smile that appeared on his face. Melvin turned back to her, hand on his cheek. The look on his face was priceless. It was a mixture of bewilderment and anger.

"Are you crazy—"

_SMACK!_

"Strike two!" Tyler announced with a grin.

"What the hell was that one for?!" Melvin yelled.

"For being a selfish dick!" Jessie growled back.

Burt wasn't even trying to hold back his laughter. "I think I'm starting to like this girl!"

"What the hell is your problem?" Melvin shouted angrily.

"My problem? I'll tell you my problem. You're a money-grubbing little prick, that's what! I was told everything. You're nothing but a slimy little murderer, you know that?" Jessie snarled, eyes narrowed to slits as she glared like a rattlesnake at the weasel in front of her.

"What? How the hell am I a murderer?" Melvin had raised his own voice, possibly louder than hers.

"That biker, that's how!"

"Are you kidding me? That was an accident!"

"You got your ass on that rock, but you didn't make a single effort to tell him El Blanco was coming. He _died_ because you hired him to do your dirty work for you. Do you get it? That man is _dead_ because you were trying to kill of El Blanco! And for what? Money? Grow some balls and use that stolen money of yours to buy a personality!"

He stared at her with wide, angry eyes. The look on his face showed he couldn't believe this woman had just spoken to him like that. Behind him, Nancy and Jodie exchanged looks that said "oh shit".

"Wow, Melvin. She sure told you," said Jodie.

"Well, it's about time someone did." Burt looked like he'd just won the lottery. Tyler was smiling.

"On that note." Jessie jabbed his chest with two fingers. "If I _ever_ catch you trying to hurt that Graboid, so help me _God _I will not only slap you with the most vicious lawsuit of your life, I will strip you of every cent you own. And if you got anything to say about it, I'll just skip the lawsuit, slash your tires, and let that landshark have his way with you!"

With that, she spun on her heel and strode from the store, shiny auburn hair swishing back and forth behind her heated strides. Melvin stared after her, speechless. Everyone watched her go until she was out of sight, and Burt's shoulders shook with silent laughter, a toothy grin stretched across his face.

"Well," Taking his shades off, he gave Melvin the most cheerful, condescending smile he could give, "on that note… I think I'll go see exactly what out beloved landshark is up to. I'll say hello to him for you, Melvin." He was still snickering as he turned and exited the market, looking way too pleased with himself.

Melvin glared after him with nothing short of peeved annoyance, and behind him Tyler laughed lightly. Walking over, he clapped a hand down on Melvin's shoulder, and he looked at him.

"I think she likes you, man."

Scoffing, Melvin shrugged his shoulder off, and he was the next one to stride out, muttering under his breath the whole time. The others just smirked after him, as Nancy laughed quietly.

"She told him," muttered Jodie. "That's Jessie for ya."

"I like her," said Rosalita. "She isn't stuck up, and she's independant."

"I like her too." Smiling, Nancy went back to her mail. "I can feel the love blossoming between her and Melvin already."

"Melvin?" Tyler let out a cruel "ha". "I think Burt's startin' to warm up to her already. Anyone that gets Melvin by the balls like that is bound to get along with Burt."

* * *

"Okay, big guy…. Work with me here."

Jessie stood atop a boulder, slowly following the white Graboid as he circled around its perimeter. She was trying to get him to surface long enough to get a good look at his mouth and tongues. Part of her job was to collect as much information on the Graboid's anatomy as she could, which was nearly impossible without dissecting one. Obviously they couldn't do that to El Blanco, so she would have to settle with what she could get simply by observation.

"Come on, El Blanco, help me out here." She crouched down, and the bulge under the ground halted with her. She watched the tongues slither through the top of the soil and sighed. He just wasn't cooperating. What did she have to do? Do a frigging dance for the thing?

"You're killing me, hun," she muttered.

Sighing, she packed up her things and jumped back into her car, which she had parked on a flat slab of rock, and started the ignition. She sped off towards the rocky trails so the worm couldn't follow her, and headed back towards town. As she drove, she thought back to earlier that morning and felt her blood boil.

She hadn't been lying when she said she would strip him of everything he owned. Feeding him to El Blanco, though… maybe. She shook her head. She just didn't understand how someone could be that greedy and self-indulgent.

"_Jessie, it's Jodie. Do you copy?"_

She grabbed her radio from the passenger's seat and moved it to her lips. "I copy, Jodie. What's up?"

"_Twitchell's here."_

Great. Sighing, she pressed the button to reply. "Okay, I'll be there in a few. Let me get El Blanco off my tail."

Jodie giggled over the walkie. _"Welcome to Perfection!"_

Jessie smirked and tossed the radio back onto the car seat. There was no doubt in her mind Twitchell was there to have her sign more pointless documents. In her opinion, the guy seriously needed to chill out. _He's bald for a reason, _she thought.

Her radio let out static. _"Jessie, do you copy?"_

"I copy, Burt."

"_I think we've got something you'd like to see. Head back to town. Over."_


	3. Welcome to the Jungle

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Tremors or its characters. The rights go to Ron Underwood, S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock, and Nancy Roberts.**

**Chapter #3: Welcome to the Jungle**

Twitchell was pacing the floor of Chang's Market, as the others sat and watched him with bored expressions, and every now and then he would send a nervous glance at the white creature in the Plexiglas box on the floor. There had been a pack of six Shriekers found in downtown Bixby, but the authorities had, for once, managed to shoot them all down before their numbers could grow out of control. All but one, which they had managed to capture when the creature had gotten tangled in a fisherman's net. Somehow, it had fallen on Twitchell to take care of the situation, and, naturally, he was taking out his frustrations on everyone within striking distance.

"Why the hell do I have to be in charge of these damn monsters? It ain't my problem of one hatches outside this frigging valley and produces those little screeching toads!"

"Shriekers," Burt corrected.

"Whatever, Gummer! Just kill that freakin' chicken, and I'll pretend I never knew about that little incident last week."

"That wasn't our fault, Twitch," said Tyler. "Besides, anyone that blasts Ke$ha around these parts is lookin' to get slurped anyway."

Nancy gasped. "Tyler!"

It was at that moment Jessie arrived, and all heads turned to her. Her eyes were scanning the room with slight concern as she entered. "What's going on?" She met each of their gazes in confusion. "Is everyone okay?"

"Local authorities in Bixby shot down a small pack of Shriekers last night," Burt explained.

"What?" Her eyes widened a fraction. "Did anyone get hurt?"

"No, thank God." Twitchell was shaking his head in annoyance. "I wish they had just killed the little snapper—"

"We thought you might be interested in their find," Burt cut in.

She furrowed her brow at him. "Find?"

It was then the animal in the box made itself noticed, as it let out a low rumble. Jessie's head slowly turned in that direction, and when she saw it her eyes grew in what could be taken as amazement.

"Oh wow…" A slow smile made its way onto her face, and they all watched as she turned towards the cage and began to approach it at a slow, cautious step. In the box, a pure white Shrieker made low chirps and gurgle-like noises, as it dragged its pink tongue along its enclosure's bottom. The only color visible on the albino creature was the pinkish tint to its cheeks and tongue. Transfixed, Jessie got down on one knee before the cage, but the Shrieker didn't seem to notice her. In fact, she had just realized now how quiet it had been.

"It's blind. Well, that's what they told me," said Twitchell.

"That explains why it's been so well behaved," muttered Rosalita. "I was wondering why it was being so quiet."

"Well, then how does it hunt?" asked Jodie.

Burt shook his head. "My guess is that it drags it tongue around in hopes of finding something edible."

"It's albino." Still smiling, Jessie reached into her backpack and pulled out her camera. "Though, albinism shouldn't affect its heat sensory…. Amazing. This is the first time something like this has ever been seen in a Shrieker. This is gonna look great in my research!"

"Don't get too excited."

Burt. You killjoy.

"It's not staying here. We're sending it to the lab where it can be contained safely. I just figured you'd want to take a few pictures for your research."

"You mean the lab with Dr. Matthews?"

"That's the one." Burt huffed. "Personally, I would have just killed the thing if given the chance—"

"I'm sure." Rolling her eyes, Jessie snapped a few pictures. "But you didn't."

Nancy smiled and glanced over at Rosalita. Jodie had taken out her own camera and was taking snapshots of the Shrieker as well.

"These will sell great!" she exclaimed happily. "People will think it's so exotic."

Jessie smiled at her. "I need to drive up there at some point to ask them a few questions, actually." Standing, she turned to Tyler. "Think you could show me where it is sometime?"

He shrugged. "Why not?"

"Oh and, Burt…" Turning, Jessie looked at him. "Are you still up for giving me that tour?"

"Yeah, I guess. Just give me a half hour. Oh, and Dr. Matthews said you're welcome to take part in the research on the Shrieker. Said she's interested in your work."

She smiled. "Excellent."

* * *

"Okay, so I trust you're familiar on how to use all the seismo equipment?" asked Burt, as Jessie got into the truck.

"Yes. It's the landscape I'm unfamiliar with." Buckling herself in, she took out her iPad and opened a new document. "I need to take notes on El Blanco's habitat."

"Well, there's a lot to memorize, but I'd say it's smart to start with where he _can't_ go in case you ever find yourself in a sticky situation." He pulled out of the town and headed down the path. "As you know, Graboids can't travel through rock, so if you want to do any research with him physically there, I suggest you stick to the rocky areas until you're used to his behavioral patterns. Here."

He handed her a folded map, and she took it from his hands. Opening it, she began reading it over slowly.

"That's a map of every seismograph in the valley."

"Thank you. I was surprised when I wasn't given one of these." Folding the map back up, she neatly tucked it into her bag. "So that Melvin guy is the reason El Blanco is even here right now, right?"

"Basically." He shook his head a bit. "The little turd will stop at nothing to get his grubby little hands on the valley."

"Kind of ironic, don't you think?" Jessie leaned back in her seat. "He keeps trying to kill El Blanco… yet he's the reason El Blanco is even alive in the first place."

A small smirk made its way to Burt's face. "Ah, we'd probably have kept El Blanco alive anyway. If Melvin hadn't built here, someone else would've eventually weaseled their way in."

"You're probably right." Jessie snapped a few shots out her window with her camera. "So is Twitchell going to take that Shrieker to the lab himself?"

He let out a cruel "ha". "Nah, he'll have them come down and get it. He wouldn't drive with that thing if it was dead."

She smiled amusedly. "At least he lets you guys stay here. You have to give him points for that."

"Yeah, he lets us stay if we do all the dirty work for him," he replied dryly. "One time he threatened me by telling me if I didn't kill this pack of Shriekers in Arizona, he'd make us leave Perfection."

"Oh yeah, I heard of that. You recruited a team of baseball players, right?"

"Yeah, it was one of our more… haphazard tactics."

She giggled. "Tell me about yourself, Burt. What are some of the highlight moments of your escapades with los Graboids?" She said the last part as if she were narrating some Spanish reality TV show.

He smirked. "Well, if anything, I can't say my life's been boring." He then proceeded to tell her different stories about the Graboids and some of the mutations caused by Mixmaster. As he was speaking, Jessie was listening intently while jotting notes down in her iPad. Occasionally she would ask a question, but other than that the tour consisted of only Burt speaking. What happened as they were heading back towards town, however, was something neither of them were prepared for.

"Burt, LOOK OUT!"

He slammed on the breaks, tires sliding along the dirt path in a partial skid. Jessie immediately grabbed onto the seat to keep from being thrown sideways, and Burt swore as he tried to regain control of the truck. Neither of them had been prepared when they rounded a large cluster of boulders to find a certain Graboid laying sprawled across the road, and Burt had to swerve sharply in order to avoid hitting El Blanco head on.

"Damn!" With another few jerks of the wheel, he was finally able to regain control of where his tires were going, and he managed to pull over onto a nearby boulder.

"What the hell—" He looked down at the monitor, which he had checked literally seconds before the near-accident. How had the worm suddenly appeared out of nowhere?

"What the hell happened?" Jessie snapped. "Wasn't he like on the other side of the valley?"

"I have no idea what happened; the monitors read normally…" Looking back at the screen, Burt frowned. "It's actually reading movement right now…" Blinking, he sat back in his seat, befuddled. "I thought that was El Blanco…"

"Well, what else could it be?" asked Jessie. "Another Graboid?"

"No clue!"

Then she suddenly paused, as she remembered El Blanco. "He wasn't moving…"

"What?" Burt looked at her, but she was already climbing out of the truck and jumping onto the rocks. "Hey, hold on a minute! Jessie!" When she didn't look back or stop, he let out a frustrated noise and shook his head before unbuckling his seatbelt. "Damn woman!" He shoved open his door and got out of the truck as well. "Jessie, get back here! Don't leave the rock!"

"Burt, El Blanco wasn't moving! I need to go see if he's okay. He's not circling the rock." Before he could stop her, she jumped off the rock and ran towards the boulder the Graboid was supposed to be behind.

"Jessie, goddamn it!" Burt ran after her. "GET BACK HERE! You have no idea if he went back under!"

She leapt onto the boulder, scrambling up its side like a squirrel. Burt was shaking his head angrily, but he had no other option but to follow her, grizzly big boar in hand. When he finally reached her, he was panting slightly and glaring daggers into her back as he approached.

"Damn it, Jessie, you can't be running off like that! The last thing I need is for someone else to get eaten!"

"Burt…" She was staring down at the road, and her face was the picture of concern. "I think there's something wrong with El Blanco…"

He looked down where the Graboid was still stretched across the road. In their frenzy, he hadn't gotten a good look at the worm, but now that things were calmed down he was able to really see what had Jessie so concerned. El Blanco was laying partially above ground, and his tongues were flopped over his mandibles and on the ground, limp and lifeless. What shocked them the most was the chains that were fastened around El Blanco's beak and hooked onto the rocks to keep him from submerging. However, they could tell the creature was still alive by the way El Blanco made low moans. Jessie frowned.

"What's the hell…?"

Staring, Burt slowly shook his head, and she knew he was as lost as she was. "This is bad." His hand then moved to his belt, and he pulled out his radio. "Tyler? This is Burt. We got a situation here. Over."

Jessie's head turned at her brother's name, and there was the faint sound of static.

"_What's the situation? Over."_

"It's El Blanco. I don't know what happened. The monitors were reading that he was miles away from us, and then poof. He was right there. We nearly ran the bastard over. Look, he isn't moving much, and he's laying above ground. It looks similar to when those two bandits tranquilized him. He's being restrained by chains. Better get over here asap. Over."

"_Shit. Should I call Twitchell? Over."_

"I guess we have to. He's gonna love the fact he gets to pay us a second visit. Over."

"_Ah, he'll live. Is Jessie okay? Over."_

"She's fine. Just get here as quickly as you can. Over."

"_I'm on my way now. Over and out."_

Burt pocketed his walkie and turned to look back at El Blanco. He pressed his lips into a thin line while shaking his head. "Damn worm goes through more abuse than anyone here. At this rate, our asses will be kicked out of here before we can blink." Shaking his head, he turned to face Jessie. "Listen, I'm gonna make a run up to my place and give the seismos a quick check. It should be awhile before Twitchel or Tyler get here…"

"I'll stay with El Blanco. Someone should keep an eye on him… just in case." She smiled weakly at him.

He seemed reluctant, but after a moment he nodded. "Just stay on the rock, okay? Do me a favor."

Rolling her eyes, she gave him a sarcastic salute. She kept her eyes locked on El Blanco the entire time, hearing Burt's footsteps grow more distanced as he walked back over to his truck. She heard the tires rolling over the sand, and sighed before sitting down on the boulder, eyes still focused on El Blanco. This was not how she has been expecting her visit to go.

* * *

Jessie didn't move from her spot for over an hour, and it was close to sunset when she finally heard the distinct sound of tires come to a halt somewhere behind her. _Finally_, she thought.

"It took you long enough, Burt."

"What are you doing?"

Her head snapped up and over her shoulder at the voice, and her eyes widened a second before narrowing into disdainful slits. "What the hell are you doing here, Plug?"

Melvin approached her with a sly smirk on his face. "Just checking out my land. Actually, you're not supposed to be here. This is my part of the valley."

"Oh yeah?" She looked less and impressed. "What are you gonna do? Arrest me? Because I got a hunch you've been up to more illegal activities than me."

"Why are you so hostile? Sheesh, I make one attempt on that stupid worm's life, and now it's like I'm Satan." He walked over to her, and she stood.

"Oh yeah?" She pointed down below. "Well, if you're so innocent, explain _this_ to me."

His eyebrows furrowed, and he came over to see what she was talking about. Looking down, his eyes widened exponentially.

"Jesus—that thing was there the whole time?! I was just on the ground!"

"Well, he's not going anywhere, so don't get your panties in a bunch." Jessie turned her eyes back to El Blanco. "He's sick. Tyler should be here any minute with Twitchell."

Melvin slowly took a step forward, and he leaned over slightly to stare down at the albino Graboid with mild interest and a surplus of dislike. While he was doing this, he had failed to notice Jessie scurry off to the side, where she was now making a slow, careful descent to the bottom of the boulder. This came as much of an alarm to him when he looked up, and he immediately pursued her.

"Where the heck are you going?" Catching up to her, he grabbed her arm before she could jump off the rock.

"Where does it look like?" she snapped in return.

"Jessie, you have no idea what might—"

"And I'm sure you're so concerned," she sneered, cutting him off. "I'm not just going to sit around and wait when he could be dying, Melvin!" With that, she yanked her arm free from his iron grip and moved towards the edge of the boulder. Melvin made no further attempt to stop her, but he did follow her as close as possible without leaving the rock, eyes darting back to El Blanco repeatedly. Jessie took it a step further and jumped off into the ground.

"Jessie, come on, this is _insane_!"

"Why? Am I undoing your handiwork, _Melvin_?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, as if I'd get close enough to do this. I haven't even left the rock!"

"Once a pussy always a pussy." Jessie slowly edged towards the trapped Graboid, ready to sprint back to the rock at any second. Melvin never responded to her, and she didn't see him take out his phone and snap a picture of her before rapidly typing something on the keypad.

"Remember how far it can reach," he piped up, never taking his eyes from the phone.

Jessie didn't answer. She was now a risky few feet from the giant creature, and the whole time her eyes were focused on the beak. Slowly, cautiously, she snuck closer to get a good look at the limp tongues. Up on the rocks, Melvin glanced over his shoulder at her, and he nearly dropped his phone when he saw what she was doing.

"What the hell are you doing? You're too close!"

"Melvin, so help me, God." Lifting her head, she shot him a warning look. "_Shut up_."

Tentatively, she reached out to the tongue nearest her and lightly touched her fingertips to the slimy appendage. Melvin nearly puked, face twisting up in disgust. El Blanco let out a low groan, and Jessie made a low shushing sound.

"It's okay, big guy." Taking her hand away, she looked down at the substance on her fingers and frowned. "His tongues are covered in microvesicles."

"Yeah, I have no clue what that is."

She looked up at him. "Well, it's not normal. He might have been poisoned." She gave the worm a quick once-over. "No outer wounds that I can see…. It would be easier if these creatures had eyes. If they were dilated, we could probably narrow it down to some sort of plant toxin."

He stared at her, when the sound of tires caught both their attentions. Jessie looked up as Tyler's jeep drove into view. He had barely turned the engine off before jumping out of his seat and striding over to her.

"Jessie, get out of there!"

"How did you know where we were? Melvin doesn't know our coordinates…"

"No, but Burt does." Melvin had a sort of triumphant smirk. "So I sent him a couple shots of our surroundings."

"You want a cookie?" she asked.

His smirk faltered.

"Yeah, and Burt called me up in the midst of a heart attack," Tyler said. He approached El Blanco and stood by his sister.

"Poachers, probably," he commented.

"Yep." Sighing, Jessie shrugged. "Well… I guess we better call up Dr. Matthews. We might need to whip up a little medicine for this beluga… and we want to get these chains off him as soon as possible."

A "tch" noise caused them both to look up just in time to see Melvin had left the rock and was heading towards his car. "Have fun with that."


End file.
